When I started this blog, I decided to remain anonymous, signing all my posts as Newbie Author. I worried that, since I planned to blog about mistakes made while writing my first novel, I thought it might hurt later efforts to attract agents and publishers.
I’ve decided that my original reasons for blogging anonymously were unwarranted. However, now that I can see my way to the completion of my manuscript, and I have started to think seriously about getting it published, I noticed that there are a half-dozen authors with books in print using variations of my real name. (How dare they!)
Realizing that a new author needs to stand apart from the crowd, I decided I needed a pen name.
I thought the process of selecting a pen name would be easy. Instead, I found myself agonizing over the nuances of each name I considered. What impressions might it create? Were there hidden meanings? For the longest time, none of the names felt right. I bombarded friends and family with ideas. Often, when I researched names that felt okay, I would find it already belonged to some one famous (or in one case, infamous). But finally, I invented a name that felt right — and didn’t belong to anyone else on Facebook or Google.
I selected Dax MacGregor as my pen name. Dax now has his own author website.
But since Newbie Author has received a lot of positive feedback and recognition, I didn’t want to remove all mentions of him. For example, Newbie received an invitation to guest blog at Novel Publicity. He’s also been interviewed by Self Publishing Coach. On Twitter, he’s developed a modest following.
So hop on board. There are lots of option: Follow me on Twitter. Like my Facebook Page. Connect with me on LinkedIn. Subscribe to our RSS feed. Or get updates by email.
I also publish a daily newsletter filled with trending articles from around the web related to writing called First Manuscript Daily News.
There’s more to come!
Comments
Related Posts
Creative Ways To Capture Research Notes
When my research for my novel-in-progress required hiking in freezing weather, taking notes the traditional way didn’t work well. Here’s a couple of ideas of how to use technology for even better results.
Taglines Make Characters Memorable
Taglines or catch phrases make it easy for readers to remember a character. When they are done right, even years later, we recall the character with clarity.
Overcome Writer’s Block By Sharpening Your Vision
When I find myself sitting staring at the display, or pressing the backspace key in equal proportion to other keys, I’ve often found my block is due to the lack of clarity in the scene I am attempting to describe – or, sometimes it’s because my gut is telling me my approach to the scene isn’t right.
Here is how to break through.
The Right Skin Type To Be A Successful Writer
Successful authors share the same skin type. Do you have what it takes?
0 Comments